Content:

(B, C, LL, VV, SS, A, MM) Light, undeveloped moral worldview, references to Christian church but there is a female pastor, though she encourages the congregation to "follow God," plus Christian teenager says she could never abort a baby "because it would be like killing a baby, but, otherwise, her character is morally and spiritually ambiguous; 11 obscenities (mostly "f" words), one strong profanity and four light profanities; strong violence with some blood includes deer hits car and driver gets out to look at dying deer, teenager just having given birth trails blood in the snow and collapses, older woman goes into labor but it's a dream, and teenager secretly has baby in bathroom stall (she is clearly in pain); depicted fornication that is statutory rape by teen boy over 18 and married woman who suspects her husband of possible adultery kisses a male friend but nothing further happens; no nudity; alcohol use; no smoking; and, lying, family tension, pregnant teenager does not go to doctor during pregnancy or when she starts to give birth, and during English class the protagonist criticizes the reverend in the classic novel THE SCARLET LETTER.

Summary:

STEPHANIE DALEY is an independent drama about a 16-year-old girl accused of killing her newborn child, who is ordered to see a pregnant forensic psychologist to evaluate the girl's state of mind during her secret pregnancy and the baby's premature birth. Although the movie's ending seems to affirm life, the positive ending is muted so as to avoid a really strong pro-life message, and the movie contains strong foul language, a restrained sex scene and violent imagery.

Review:

STEPHANIE DALEY is an independent drama about a sensational topic – unwed teenage mothers accused of killing their newborn children. It plays coyly around the topic until the end and, even then, it doesn't give the kind of strong, morally uplifting message that it might have, though it does end on a somewhat positive note.

In the story, a 16-year-old named Stephanie Daley is accused of murdering her newborn baby. She claims that the child was stillborn, but the prosecutor hires a forensic psychologist, Lydie Crane, who is herself pregnant, to evaluate Stephanie's level of guilt and, perhaps, determine the truth. Having undergone a miscarriage less than a year before, and grappling with a shaky marriage because of it, the pregnant Lydie finds that unraveling Stephanie's mystery is crucial to the fate of her own baby.

Viewers eventually learn the truth about what happened to Stephanie's baby. Although the movie's ending seems to affirm life, the positive ending is muted. Apparently, the filmmaker, who admits to being pro-abortion, wanted to keep the movie "morally ambiguous." Thus, she backs away from the pro-life conclusion that her story seems to be leading toward at the end. Consequently, STEPHANIE DALEY is not as morally uplifting as it could or should have been, despite a brilliant performance from Amber Tamblyn, formerly of TV's JOAN OF ARCADIA, as the shy, guilt-ridden teenager, Stephanie. The movie also contains some strong foul language, a restrained sex scene and violent imagery. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.

In Brief:

STEPHANIE DALEY is an independent drama about a sensational topic – unwed teenager mothers accused of killing their newborn children. In the story, a 16-year-old named Stephanie Daley is accused of murdering her newborn baby during a school ski trip. She claims that the child was stillborn, but the prosecutor hires a forensic psychologist, Lydie Crane, who is pregnant, to evaluate Stephanie's level of guilt. Grappling with a shaky marriage because of her miscarriage less than a year before, the pregnant Lydie finds that unraveling Stephanie's mystery is crucial to the fate of her new baby.

Viewers eventually learn the truth about what happened to Stephanie's baby. Although the movie's ending seems to affirm life, the positive ending is muted. The filmmaker backs away from the pro-life conclusion that her story seems to be leading toward at the end. Consequently, STEPHANIE DALEY is not as morally uplifting as it could or should have been, despite a brilliant performance from Amber Tamblyn, formerly of TV's JOAN OF ARCADIA, as the shy, guilt-ridden teenager, Stephanie. The movie also contains some strong foul language, a restrained sex scene and violent imagery. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.